A $250 million borrowing proposal to fund repairs of local roads, bridges and infrastructure inched closer to consideration by the House and Senate on Monday, winning the backing of a House committee four days before an April 1 statutory deadline.

Members of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, which reviews government borrowing practices and legislation, endorsed the bill unanimously. Committee members said they hoped the full House could consider the bill later in the week.

Kyle Cheney

A $250 million borrowing proposal to fund repairs of local roads, bridges and infrastructure inched closer to consideration by the House and Senate on Monday, winning the backing of a House committee four days before an April 1 statutory deadline.

Members of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, which reviews government borrowing practices and legislation, endorsed the bill unanimously. Committee members said they hoped the full House could consider the bill later in the week.

The committee agreed to strip out a provision to direct $15 million toward a “Complete Streets” initiative aimed at supporting bike lanes, lighting, pedestrian walkways and other alternative transportation means. Although members expressed support for the program, concerns about how the money would be apportioned among cities and towns, as well as concerns raised by the Patrick administration, led lawmakers to nix the provision and pledge to pursue it in separate legislation later in the session.

Rep. William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) noted that cities and towns are allowed to fund Complete Streets priorities even if it isn’t specifically spelled out in the law.

The committee decision to strike the Complete Streets earmark overturned the Transportation Committee’s decision to insert it last week. The program was not included in an original draft of the proposal filed by Gov. Deval Patrick earlier this year, and state finance officials wondered whether it would be divided among cities and towns proportionately or distributed by another formula.

Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) has filed separate legislation to require 5 percent of local road and bridge repair funding – also called Chapter 90 funding, after the section of state law that governs the program – to support Complete Streets initiatives. However, he joined members of the bonding committee in voting to strike it from the funding legislation.

During the hearing, Rep. Denise Provost (D-Somerville), testifying before the committee, called Complete Streets funding “essential to implementing the transportation reform bill we passed in the last session.”

Patrick administration officials testifying on the proposal said they would not go beyond $200 million in Chapter 90 funding under the state’s $1.625 billion annual borrowing cap, which will increase to $1.75 billion on July 1. Scott Jordan, undersecretary of administration and finance, said Patrick would likely refuse any attempts to authorize more than $200 million for the program, despite the $250 million bottom line on the House bill and calls by municipal officials to support $300 million.

“Even 200 [million] is a stretch,” Jordan said. “That’s as far as we can go.”

Jordan said the administration sought a one-year borrowing proposal, rather than a multi-year plan, because the governor is likely to file a more expansive transportation bond bill this session. Some lawmakers suggested the transportation bond bill could be a vehicle for the Complete Streets funding.

Lawmakers also questioned administration officials about a provision that would require any road and bridge repair contract to include a clause to account for potential spikes or declines in the cost of fuel, asphalt, steel and concrete.

Jordan said the variable price would enable potential contractors to offer lower bids, while a fixed price contract would likely lead contractors to propose the “highest possible price” on fuel. If prices spike on commodities like gasoline, he added, cities and towns would be on the hook for the increase.

Cabral also suggested that the committee examine an “outdated” and “too restrictive” formula for funding local road and bridge repairs. During the hearing, lawmakers and state officials questioned the origin of the current formula. Rep. James Cantwell (D-Marshfield) wondered with sarcasm whether it was time to update a Chapter 90 formula that he said was crafted in the 1970s by “people wearing bellbottoms.”

Administration officials noted that the formula apportions local road and bridge repair funds primarily based on the number of road miles within each city and town and secondarily based on local population and employment statistics. The population estimates used in this year’s calculations would reflect changes in U.S. Census data, officials said.

In addition, Cabral said he hopes to explore ways to put the Chapter 90 funding formula into law.